Media cowardice

Needless to say, none of those papers have refused to publish similar cartoons that might offend Catholics, Jews, or Evangelicals. Indeed, the point of a cartoon like Opus is to be provocative. If it doesn't offend someone (Republicans, Democrats, Corporations, Environmentalists, Soccer moms, human beings, ratty cats or penguins) then it's probably not a very good Opus.

It really doesn't serve the long-term interests of the media or Western society to self-censor like this. One of the fundamental ideas that have to become generally accepted among Muslims is that they will sometimes be offended, just like everyone else. So the Post and its several dozen like-minded (if weak-willed) colleagues, deserve their brickbats.

I interpret it as an ironic reference to America's (Bush's) hubris that it knows what is best for Iraq, rather than what the Iraqis themselves might think. (Democracy, oil law, de-Baathification, de-de-Baathification, etc.)